New rules announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday ensure diners who order delivery in Chicago will know exactly how much of their bill is going to the restaurant and how much is covering fees imposed by a third-party delivery company.

With dining rooms currently closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants are relying heavily on delivery and pickup orders for business. Many are now using third-party delivery services like Grubhub and Uber Eats to handle the logistics of the ordering and delivery process. But some restaurateurs have complained about high fees and other issues related to those companies.

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The new “first-in-the-nation rules,” from the mayor and Chicago’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection office will “increase transparency and fair competition,” according to a press release.

There are no new fees, but third-party delivery companies will now have to provide an itemized receipt that includes all of the charges. That includes the cost of the food, any taxes, delivery charge, tips and “any commission or service fee paid by the restaurant to the third-party delivery company.” According to the city, right now “customers may believe that the restaurant is receiving the full menu price of the food,” even though that’s not the case.

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“I think it may cause third-party sales to decrease," said Marc Malnati, owner of Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. "I don’t think people actually understand all the ‘hidden’ costs, and when they do, they may seek better values.”

On the flip side, Malnati said, “I think customers may also see that many restaurants are now charging a higher price for delivery than they charge in their restaurants, in order to offset the big delivery charge. They are often actually paying twice for the service. We have always employed our own drivers. It’s a much better solution, and is also a far better value to consumer.”

In an official statement, Grubhub took issue with the policy saying, "These arbitrary disclosure rules... represent unprecedented and illegal interference in private contracts freely entered into and negotiated by two companies. Even worse, the rules will do exactly the opposite of their intent by causing confusion to consumers. These efforts by policymakers risk discouraging people from enjoying restaurant meals safely at home and hurt our efforts to support restaurants.”

According to the statement, Grubhub continues to “support policy and legislation that help restaurants serve their communities,” but the company believes “a path to reopening these businesses must be the focus.”

David London, the Senior Lead for East & Federal Government Relations at DoorDash, doesn’t think the change will help restaurants. “Unfortunately, this unnecessary and overreaching regulation, issued under the guise of the current emergency, will only lead to confusion and hurt restaurants and delivery workers,” writes London in an email. He notes that DoorDash has already cut commissions in half for more than 2,000 Chicago restaurants through May. “We will remain focused on serving the restaurants, customers, and Dashers who use our platform as we explore our options and hope to find future opportunities to partner with Chicago and its restaurant community,” writes London.

Nick Kokonas, the CEO of Tock, is less worried. “It proves our point,” writes Kokonas in an email. “Tock charges a flat 3% of the sale to the restaurant. I suppose we will have to disclose that on the receipt now ... but it doesn’t affect the customer at all, and it’s as much as 8 to 10 times less than some other services which can charge up to 30%.”

Restauranteurs welcomed the new rules.

“There are times when the government has a duty to ensure the consumer is fully informed of all business practices, regardless of one’s feelings about a free enterprise market; this is one of those times,” said Kevin Hickey, chef and owner of The Duck Inn. “As a restauranteur, I have every right to not engage GrubHub because of their predatory service fees, but that removes my goods and services from a substantial portion of the market.”

“It would be great if it helps bring down third party fees,” said Robert Garvey, chef and owner of Robert’s Pizza & Dough Co. “I think consumers will be surprised at how much of the overall cost goes to delivery services.”

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“Transparency before and during these trying times is always how we would like to operate,” said Donnie Madia, partner in One Off Hospitality Group. “And so should our third-party partners. So I would compliment the mayor on her decision.”

Still others don’t see the policy making any difference.

“I really don’t see how it will change the perception of the guest,” said chef Carrie Nahabedian, owner of Brindille and Kostali restaurants. “It’s ‘the cost of doing business’ in most people’s eyes. We’ve never done takeaway or delivery, but in a couple of weeks, we will start."